Luis A. Quintana

Council Member Luis A. Quintana has dedicated years of public service to the residents of Newark. He was elected to his first term as council member-at-large in the June 1994 run-off election. He is the first person of Hispanic descent to be elected to an at-large position in the Newark Municipal Council.Actively involved in his community, Quintana became a Democratic County Committee member in 1981. In 1985, he was appointed as an aide to then South Ward Councilman Sharpe James. In great part due to his dedication and performance as an aide, Quintana was named a deputy mayor for the City of Newark in 1986.

Quintana’s early work as a youth counselor at the North Ward Center in Newark helped to develop him into an advocate for urban youth. As a result of his interest, Quintana has worked with projects and programs related to young people for many years, including the following: Essex Council Boy Scouts of America Explorer Officers; Rick Cerone Little League; Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark; Urban Youth Task Force.

Quintana was born in Anasco, Puerto Rico, and moved with his family to Newark at the age of 8. In 1979 he graduated from Barringer High School and was named Outstanding Youth of the Year by ASPIRA, Inc. He received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Seton Hall University. While at Seton Hall, he was actively involved with the Upward Bound Program and numerous other community activities.